'There’s no movie that’s worth a life': Manitoba film community reacts to death on Alec Baldwin set
A member of Manitoba’s film community is issuing a reminder about the importance of safety on film sets in the wake of a fatal shooting during the production of an Alec Baldwin movie.
According to law enforcement, Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on set during the filming of the movie "Rust" on Oct. 22.
Halyna Hutchins, who was 42, was the director of photography for Baldwin's latest movie, a Western which was being filmed in New Mexico.
According to law enforcement statements provided to CNN, Hutchins was shot at around 1:50 p.m. Thursday local time and was airlifted to hospital but died of her injuries.
Joao Holowka has worked in the film industry in Manitoba for over 20 years as a chief lighting technician.
He said the tragedy on the set of “Rust” goes beyond the film industry.
“Someone once said, ‘if it’s important enough to run for it, it’s important enough to wait for it,’” Holowka told CTV News Winnipeg.
“So safety first, it’s not a cliché. It’s a lifesaver device. You wait. You don’t run. You don’t take shortcuts. There’s no shot, there’s no frame, there’s no scene, there’s no movie that’s worth a life. Safety first always.”
The gun Baldwin used was one of three that a firearms specialist, or "armorer," had set on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed, according to court records. Assistant director Dave Halls grabbed a gun off a cart and handed it to Baldwin, indicating that the weapon was safe by yelling "cold gun," court papers say. However, it was loaded with live rounds, according to the records.
Holowka said the film industry has the mentality of making anything possible, but there are and should be limits.
“We are very much a ‘can do’ attitude industry. There’s nothing that we cannot do, with one exception; if you do not feel safe, walk away. It’s just a movie.”
- With files from CNN and The Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.